At JE Dunn, our spirit of employee ownership helps drive who we are. Pete Burney, Vice President of Business Process Management, has exemplified this spirit throughout his time at the company. We sat down with Pete to get to know him a bit more and to find out what employee ownership means to him.
What is your education and career background?
I received my Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Louisiana State University and my MBA from the University of Massachusetts. After college, I started my career as an Army officer, serving four years in the 82nd Airborne Division. I left the Army to join Hallmark Cards and remained there 26 years, retiring in 2016 as Senior Vice President – Supply Chain and Business Enablement. After leaving Hallmark, I relocated to Louisiana to provide family caregiver support.
What brought you to JE Dunn, and how long have you been with the company?
In 2017, I returned to Kansas City and joined JE Dunn to lead Diversity, Inclusion, and Compliance after a JE Dunn board member and former Hallmark colleague referred me to CEO Gordon Lansford. I remained in that position for three years. Last year, I came out of retirement and rejoined the company facilitate process improvement efforts supporting Operations.
What is a career achievement at JE Dunn that you are most proud of?
I feel proud of establishing the current structure for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department and creating a compliance function for the company, ensuring we have the right expertise in place to navigate a complex regulatory environment and support continued growth.
What does employee ownership mean to you?
Employee ownership fosters high engagement and commitment to sound decision-making, driving focus and discipline to constantly improve our operations and deliver high performance. When we succeed, everybody succeeds.
What is your favorite part of JE Dunn’s culture?
JE Dunn is a very special place. Here, people treat each other with respect and truly embrace family values. Doing the right thing and serving others are not just words, they guide our culture.
